The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with support from the Government of Japan and in collaboration with the Director of Public Prosecution in Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Justice, has delivered a series of in-depth training workshops for 34 Nigerian prosecutors. The workshops focused on strengthening capacity to prosecute terrorism and other serious offenses, in accordance with the rule of law and human rights.
The workshops, held in Abuja, Nigeria between May and September 2015, involved two select groups of prosecutors who took part in a series of three in-depth training workshops. The workshops adopted a practical approach utilising case studies and practical exercises, covering prosecutorial standards and good practices.
The workshops strengthened prosecutors’ understanding and knowledge of the relevant Nigerian and international legal frameworks and enhanced their case analysis and written and oral advocacy skills – knowledge and skills which will be relevant in their daily work. Prosecutors also benefited from the expertise and experience of practitioners from Kenya, Uganda and the United Kingdom.
This training series builds on UNODC’s ongoing partnership with the Office of the Director for Public Prosecutions. In 2014, UNODC delivered a similar in-depth training series for 21 select Nigerian prosecutors, as part of a broader assistance programme funded by the European Union.
The UNODC initiative has assisted Nigeria to develop a pool of trained prosecutors with enhanced capacity to prosecute terrorism and other serious offenses in accordance with the rule of law and human rights, supporting the transition from confession-based to evidence-based prosecutions.
